JPS6087144A - Feeder for envelope - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an envelope feeder for installation in printers of the type having a rotating platen and an associated printing station. The feeding device of the present invention includes a drive roller and a low-friction ttyt.
tltte separating tongs having a rubbing surface are utilized so that the peeling force for separating the envelopes from each other is concentrated in the center of the envelopes.

This novel structure provides a reliable envelope feeder that requires less driving force to separate and feed envelopes.

The envelope feeder of the present invention is useful in programmable indicia such as automatic typewriters, computers, or word processors.

The advantages of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention.

As shown in the drawing, the envelope feeding device (generally referenced 1
0) C;+:, a vertical plate 12 having a low coefficient of friction surface for supporting an envelope 14 (best shown in FIG. 5) and constant force spring means 18.
Pressure plate 16 (best shown in FIG. 2) presses envelope 14 toward substrate 22.
and a roller 2 with a high PX friction surface that drives and separates the envelopes.
0, a substrate 22 having a low friction surface, and separating tongues 24 also having a low friction surface. In operation, the drive separation roller 20 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. The action of the pressure plate 16 and the high friction surface of the drive separation roller 20 result in x,
(2) After being matched, the envelope 14 is forcibly brought into contact with the driving separation roller and pressed against the substrate 22. This action causes the envelope to bend and slide along the separating tongues 24. The frictional force between each envelope is less than the frictional force between envelope 14 and driven separation roller 20. Therefore, only those envelopes that are in contact with the driven separation roller 20 will be fed. The reason for this is that the frictional forces between the envelopes are not large enough to cause them to slide along the 1I11 bending and separating tongs.

In more detail with reference to FIG. 1, the vertical plate 12 is
It has a low friction surface 42 (see FIG. 5) and a cam mechanism 26 for centering the envelope. The cam mechanism has an adjustable side wall 28 for manual alignment of the envelope 14 on the vertical plate 12. These operations will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

A handle 3 for manually removing the pressure plate 16 from the envelope 14 or the vertical plate when adding or removing an envelope 14.
2 is installed. The envelope drive control roller 20 is
Drive shaft 34 along with two or more outboard drive rollers
installed on. The function of the external drive roller 36 is to avoid skewing the fed envelopes. Covers 38 and 40 are provided and attached to envelope feeder 10 by conventional means (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, drive shaft 34 is mounted for rotation within side plates 44 and 46 by suitable bearing members, which side plates are connected to base frame member 45 (FIG. 3, 4 and 5) sweeps the rigid frame for the envelope feeder 10 and its components.

At the end of the drive shaft 34, there is a pulley 4 that rotates together with the shaft.
8 is installed. Pulley 48 is connected to a drive motor 52 by a belt 50. Motor 52 is attached to side plate 46 by posts 56 and screws 58. The drive control means (not shown) controls the envelope 1
4, the motor 52 is activated. When the motor 52 operates, the belt 50 rotates the pulley 48, the drive shaft 34, the envelope drive separation roller 2o, and the drive roller 36.

As seen in FIG. 2, the base plate 22 has a separate tonk 24, which is an important component in the envelope feeder of the present invention. The driven separating roller 20 and separating tongs are important components of the apparatus of the present invention for separating and dispensing envelopes. It has been found that by concentrating the separation action on a relatively small central portion of the envelope, a reliable feeding system can be changed that requires minimal separation forces.

To confine the separation force to the separation area, the lower end 54 of the substrate 22
is inclined from the separation tongue 24. Guide brake 1~
The distance between the lower end 5/I and the drive shaft 34 is
and increases with the distance from the center of the drive roller 20.

The operation of the pressure plate 16 and constant pressure spring 18 is performed in the third step.
This can be best seen by referring to Figures 4 and 5. The pressure plate 16 has rotatable bearing means attached to both ends of the pressure plate. There is a constant pressure spring 62 wrapped around the hair ring means 60. The constant pressure spring 62 is attached by means 66,
It is attached to the opposite end of flange 46 on side plates 44 and 46. The hair ring 60 is rotatably held within L-shaped grooves formed in the side plates 44 and 46. When the pressure plate 16 is raised to its highest point, the bearing 6 is placed in a small part of the mold groove 68.
By placing 0, [Parking (constant stop)
(The parking state of the bearing 60 is shown by the broken line in FIGS. 3 and 4). This action unwraps the spring 62, also shown in dashed lines in the park condition. Bearing means 60
Once the spring 62 leaves the small portion of the I7 groove 68, the spring 62 is deflected and wraps around the bearing 60 again, thus forcing the pressure plate 12 (on which the bearing 60 can rotate in the direction of the vertical plate) (as installed). Since spring 62 is at constant pressure, it applies a relatively constant pressure to envelope 14. The pressure plate 16 has an arched portion 70 (see FIG. 5) that allows the envelope to bend in response to the action of the pressure plate 16 pressing the envelope 14 against the driven separation rollers 20. do.

Another feature of the envelope feeding device of the invention can be understood along with FIGS. 1.5 and 6. That is, envelope centering cam mechanism 26 manually aligns envelopes 14 prior to dispensing by bringing adjustable sidewalls 28 into contact with the sides of envelopes 14.
The vertical plate 12 has a slot 72 in which a pin 74 can be moved. The pin 74 has an adjustable side wall 28,
As a result, when pin 74 moves, sidewall 28 moves with pin 74.

Pin guide slot 70 as part of vertical plate 12
is formed, which, as shown in Figure 6,
This restricts the left and right movement of the pin 74. pin 74
ζJ, the cam surface 78 formed on the member 80 moves. The cam member 80 has an operating handle 82. The member 80 is attached to the frame by means 84.
- C is rotatably mounted on the base 47. In operation, the handle 82 is first rotated clockwise (clockwise) as shown in FIG. Thus, the adjustment side wall 2 where the pin member 74 and the pin are attached
8 into the most open state as shown by the broken line. envelope 14
After the handle 82 is inserted, the handle 82 is moved counterclockwise to adjust the adjustment side wall 28, as shown in FIG.
aligns and contacts the sides of the envelope to feed the envelope.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the separating tongue 24 has a width of 251 mm.
and extends approximately 7 am beyond the edge 54 of the substrate 22. Generally, the separation tongue 24 should be between 70 and 90% of the width of the driven separation roller, preferably around 75%. The separating tongs 24 extend from 4 to 10 m++. Drive separation roller 20 and separation [L7g24 t(7)l? j
The l gap can vary from about 11/2 to I3/4.

The envelope feeder 10 of the present invention may be attached to a printing machine by any conventional means. For example, the cover 38/40 may include a pin 86 that slides into the side wall of the machine (not shown).

- IIH-wise, the envelope is horizontal in the figure, but the board is at an angle of 50° to the horizontal and 65° to the vertical.
Excellent effect can be obtained by vertical plate with an angle of 50°. The envelope feeder is aligned parallel to the drive shaft printer platen (not shown). Drive separation roller 2
0 is approximately 0.375 inches in diameter and is made of hard rubber.

Separation tongues 24 are at a preferred angle of about 10° (tolerance ±5°) relative to substrate 22 and are bent toward driven separation rollers 20 as shown in FIG. Separator tongue 24 and substrate 22 are made of acrylic polymer containing 25% glass fiber.

Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many alternatives, modifications, and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the foregoing description. Such alternatives, modifications, and variations are also included in the present invention as long as they fall within the scope of claim 4.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a rear view of the envelope (Jli feeding device) of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a front view of the “・1↑IcI feeding device” of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a rear view of the envelope (Jli feeding device) of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway left side view of the envelope feeding device of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 1. 6 is a bottom view of the envelope feeding device of the present invention, and FIG.
It is shown along line 6-6 in the figure. 14... Envelope, 16... Pressure plate, 20...
Drive roller, 22... substrate, 24... separation tongs. FIG, 3 FIG, 4

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A low-friction substrate that supports the envelope, and the above! , a separating means comprising a pressure plate for pressing the envelope toward the substrate, a drive roller having a high friction surface disposed in contact with the envelope pressed against the substrate, and a low friction surface. force tongs 11, said low friction surface being arranged such that an envelope being driven by said means comprising said drive rollers is bent and slid along said separating tongs. 3. The envelope handler is characterized in that the separating means comprising the driving roller and the separating tongs are shaped so as to contact only the center portion of the supplied envelope. Δ device. (2) The envelope feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure plate is pressed toward the substrate by a torsion spring. (3) The envelope feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a centering cam n (lateral) for centering the fed envelope is attached to the substrate.